Aboriginal Policy Debate between Thomas Flanagan and Alan Cairns

Since policies of cultural assimilation and parallel governments have failed, the federal government should approach towards a policy of full Canadian citizenship and special status for the aboriginals. The debate on the issue of aboriginal policy of Canada is a serious constitutional debate in Canada and is rivaled by the status of Quebec and Quebecois. The research paper will focus on the debate on the aboriginal policy of Canada between Thomas Flanagan and Alan Cairns subscribing to opposite views and explores the impact of the perspectives of the opposing views on the Canadian society and the collective identity of the Canadians. The essay constructs on the presumption that the aboriginal policy is not a stand-alone issue and must be considered along with ethnic and national identities. Thomas Flanagan with strong modified traditional view-point vehemently opposed Cairn’s view in his controversial book terming Cairn’s view aboriginal orthodoxy. Flanagan contemplated that aboriginal people of Canada were not the first inhabitants and any policy to grant special status to the aboriginals would not be bereft of racist nature.

I will support Alan Cairns as he is more elaborate, argumentative, and more sensitive towards aboriginal people of Canada in comparison to First Nations? Second Thoughts by Thomas Flanagan. While Tom seems to use his narrow world view of history and anthropology to support his point, Cairns is more concerned about the sovereignty of the Canadian aboriginal people and unity of Canada.